1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to agricultural equipment and in particular to a grain storage means for storing grain.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art methods of unloading grain from the grain bin of a combine, or similar piece of agricultural equipment, usually involve providing an unloading chute with the grain bin. The unloading chute usually has an intake located at or near the bottom of the grain bin so that grain is continuously removed even as the level of grain drops within the grain bin. A screw-type grain auger is typically used and housed within the unloading chute for conveying the grain up and away from the grain bin. These grain augers typically require very high forces and energy to elevate the grain, making their use very inefficient. The augers also tend to crack and damage the grain and are typically very hard to clean.
An improved unloader for a combine is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/080,291, U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,247, and is herein incorporated by reference. This combine is comprised of an unloader comprised of a conveyor housing having a plurality of paddles mounted within the housing which are joined to a flexible linkage. The flexible linkage is driven around a series of pulleys or sprockets so that the paddles are continuously passed through the conveyor housing. The grain bin is pivotally mounted to the frame of the combine in this embodiment so that the grain bin can be tilted, thus facilitating the flow of grain towards the intake of the unloader. The use of paddles in this unloader requires less energy so that more grain can be removed with less power input and results in less damage to the grain which is unloaded.
While the storage bin and unloader described in U.S. patent application No. 08/080,291 is a vast improvement over other prior art storage means, there is still room for new designs and improvements.